After winning the55 Indy title, Sweikert began plotting his next move. This event be an action packed weekend full of racing and fun. Added to the dangerous equation were tracks of all variety that drivers had to tackle in order to reach their primary destination Indianapolis. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The guys who didnt run there, they were flat-ass chicken., No one had to twist Bob Sweikerts arm to race at Salem. Sweikert was completing just his fourth lap as Oakland driver Ed Elisians car seemed to push Sweikert gradually higher and higher up the banked track. Washington Township volunteer firemen and an Indianapolis fire department "I still love to go to races," Cynthia says now. . He was leading the race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go. The After 1949 Sweikert became close friends with Johnny Boyd of Fresno, California when he met him on the California racing circuit. Salem Speedway is a .555 miles (0.893 km) long paved oval racetrack in Washington Township, Washington County, near Salem, Indiana, United States, approximately 100 miles (160 km) south of Indianapolis. He is buried at Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California.[3]. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? Vogler, leading the race at the time, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn. SALEM, IND. July 22, 1990 12 AM PT Rich Vogler, five-time United States Auto Club midget champion, was killed Saturday night when he crashed during a sprint car race at Salem (Ind.) left their home at 5241 Will Scarlett Lane, a block from the Sweikert home, for On the morning of his June 17 race at Salem, Dorie Sweikert recalled her husband complaining his car wasnt handling quite right. Learn how your comment data is processed. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Report: Houston ranked No. James Tomlinson, 5 years old, and Anthony Tomlinson, 3, lost Of course, it saved a lot of lives.. And for each spectator killed, there are tales of others spared when cars or wheels flew over fences and through pits, striking no one. If you wanted to be a racer, thats what you had to do, Rathmann said. He was about to take the white flag for the final lap at the alf-mile oval in a race televised nationally by ESPN. Security, it seems, can get lost in the swirl. No other cars were involved and no other injuries reported. Five-time USAC midget champion Rich Vogler was killed Saturday night after his car crashed during a feature sprint-car race at Salem Speedway of which he was later declared the winner. The good drivers werent immune. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? Vogler`s late father, Don, was a midget driver until his death at age 54 in a crash at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 3, 1981. priest, took them word that the boys were dead. [1] The track received major storm damage in 1981 and it was not used until 1987. After Sweikert was buried in California his widow returned They have been struck while getting into a pickup truck to go home, while getting a drink from the concession stand, while watching races with their mothers and fathers, children and grandchildren. It had been there in my head and in my heart for a long time, she said. He continued to tinker with the mechanics, then entered the 25-lap event, anyway. One compromise is to offer pit access to fans who sign a liability waiver, which isn't so much a safety solution as acknowledgment that the best viewing is also the most dangerous. The Winston Cup season leader easily beat Schrader's 157.219 mph in qualifying Friday. They interrupted a broadcast with a special bulletin, and I was absolutely devastated, Levinson recalled. Toll Free: (800) 876-7811, Salem Speedway has new ownership for 2023, Two conservation uses for live-cut Christmas trees, Family Of Coaching: Hausers Moorhead is third generational coach in his family, Hall-of-Famer, NFL executive talks to North students, Prep sports notebook: Stahl named to IBCA Supreme 15. In 2008, the viewing party was moved to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where 1996 scholarship recipient Ryan Newman won the aforementioned race. Richard Kavanagh, pastor of St. 1,509 were here. Why, after not eating solids for two weeks because she choked on a grape at school, did Lindsey suddenly want chicken? There over the next couple years, he built his own track roadster. While completing the third lap, Sweikert was running near the outside wall in 4th place, side by side with his past teenage East Bay streets rival, Ed Elisian, in 5th. It was a very scary thing the sound was so frightening, said Dorie Sweikert, now 79 and living in Redding. Sweikert's first chance at driving a Sprint car came next in 1949. Nobody planned this tragedy, he told them. A few races were canceled afterward, and there were calls from some quarters to ban the sport. Five-time USAC midget champion Rich Vogler was killed Saturday night when his car crashed during a feature race of which he was later declared the winner at Salem Speedway. At the time, Vogler was scheduled to run the full Winston Cup Series in the near-future for U.S. More information on Salem Speedway and the 2023 season will be posted on the tracks website at salemspeedway.com and with social media posts on the tracks Facebook page. She died five hours later, early the next day. Even his victory in 1955 was muted by sadness when Bill Vukovich, a friend and the two-time defending Indy champ, crashed on the 56th lap and was killed. He had secured an overseas drivers license and was planning a racing tour of Europe in 1957. This page was last edited on 23 December 2014, at 08:46. Six days before, on Sept. 4, 1993, the family spent Saturday night as usual -- at the 81 Speedway, a three-eighths-mile clay oval at the north end of town where Paul Dutton raced sprint cars. At 5 p.m. their mother, Mrs. Marie Tomlinson, 32, began [2] A thunderstorm had ripped the roof off the grandstands and fences were damaged. He was one of the good guys. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. Drive. [2] Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC. That was Bobs favorite of the half-mile tracks, Dorie Sweikert said. Josh, 9, and Amanda, 7, sat in the grandstand with their mother, their grandparents and 5-year-old brother, Justin. Sacks had the pole at Daytona but was knocked out of the race in a first-lap crash that damaged 25 cars. Insurance companies, some fearful of legal liability, are reluctant to mandate any driver or car inspections. Salem has, however, put up a new fence separating the infield from the pits. On September 17, 1922 Roscoe Sarles, a respected racer with six AAA feature wins and four starts at Indy, broke a steering knuckle on his Durant, tangled with Pete During 1947 Sweikert began mailing monthly accounts of his life to Veda Orr, through April 1956. The Champion Racing Association (CRA) Super Series returns to the race track . Classes at Christ the King School were canceled for Josh and Amanda Dutton's funeral. In May 1956, at his final return to the Indianapolis 500, Sweikert began in the 10th starting position and came in for a 6th-place finish, with the team's D-A Lubricant roadster. Sixteen have been killed in grandstands and bleachers, nine in pit and infield areas, one leaning against a track fence, another sitting on his vehicle at the end of a drag strip. The tragedy brought complaints from neighbors about the open Vogler's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be fatal. Most prominently, three spectators were killed and six injured by a flying wheel and debris in June 1998 when driver Adrian Hernandez hit the Turn 4 wall during a Championship Auto Racing Teams. The other thing that was really noteworthy about him is most drivers then were hands-on, technically, but he more than most. A naturally gifted mechanic, he frequently won street races throughout the East Bay. It was completed about the time He actually maintained his sprint car, even after he won (Indy).. Vogler, who was leading the event at the time and was about to take the white flag signaling one lap to go, hit head on with the turn 4 wall, violently throwing tires, Vogler's helmet, and other pieces of Vogler's car all over the track. He ran seventy-two races that first BCRA season, finishing 14th out of 130 active members in the annual point standings. I dont know how you could be the wife of a race car driver in those days. The bodies were taken to the Conkle West 16th Vogler was the National Alliance of Midget Auto Racing (NAMAR) midget champion in 1973. Former USAC Midget racer Nick Bohanon has taken over ownership of the iconic Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem. backstretch wall to his death. Pit fencing, however, is rarely mandated. She spent after-school hours at her father's Sellersburg, Ind., body shop and weekends with her mother at nearby Salem Speedway, watching her dad and uncle race. She never saw danger coming. "The spindle just locked up and came off," he remembers. on Tragedy follows tragedythe aftermath of Bob Sweikerts death, Meet the amazing Miss Nichols, world-record aviator in a Crosley. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana. There were exciting, happy, even playful moments, she said. The engine came out of the thing the wheels were off the car disintegrated like nothing Id ever seen. Ironically, it was Reece who was standing in the turn one infield on July 17, 1956 and filmed Sweikert's accident. Parts of the car were strewn about the front stretch between the turn and the start-finish line, but the protective roll cage and the driver's pod remained attached to most of chassis. Required fence heights for oval track bleachers vary from 9 to 15 feet, according to insurance company representatives. As a sad, ironic twist, Sweikerts tragedy helped fuel You didnt talk about it, Jim Rathmann, winner of the 1960 Indy 500, said of the specter of death that loomed over auto racing in those days. His mother had married his stepfather, an electrician for the state of California, when Bob was an infant. Weeks later, Sweikert's fatal sprint car crash occurred on June 17, 1956, at Salem Speedway. Create new account. Lindsey, who wanted to be a veterinarian and a midget car racer. Such decisions are largely left up to speedways. 1949_07_25 -2 Drivers Killed at Salem Speedway- Louisville Courier-Journal pg 1 (1 of 2) Salem Speedway will be under new ownership for the 2023 racing season. In 2018, Kody Swanson broke the all-time USAC Silvercrown record with his 24th series win at Salem. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Sabres place Alex Tuch on injured reserve; top-line winger's status is uncertain, Paula's Donuts to move Clarence store that faced backlash for tax breaks to Amherst, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Chad Hall's departure from Buffalo Bills to Jaguars remains a bit of a mystery. He would make consecutive starts at Indy from then on, up until 1990. [4], NASCAR Southeast Series ran two races at the facility between 1996 and 1997; the races were won by Steven Christian and Ron Young respectively. Last edited on 17 December 2022, at 23:08, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bob_Sweikert&oldid=1128015419, This page was last edited on 17 December 2022, at 23:08. 2894 Gallahad Drive, around the corner from the Sweikert house, ran to her aid. Although Salem says technicians inspect cars, Mayden, a former driver there, says cars drove often with deficient parts -- especially in the lower classes. [4], The ASA National Tour ran six races at the track, from 1998 through 2003 and the winners were Scott Hansen (twice), David Stremme, Tim Sauter, Gary St. Amant and Robbie Pyle. But I'm doing therapy every day.". He was about to take the white flag for the final lap. Days before his 40th birthday, Vogler was competing in a nationally broadcast ESPN Thunder Joe James / Pat O'Connor Memorial sprint car event at Salem Speedway. The 2023 Salem Speedway tentative schedule: April 8: (3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt) Open Practice for all divisions, April 16: (Season Opener) GAS, CVBT, CVST, Scrappers, May 7: (Derby Hangover Twin 75s) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, June 3: ASA/CRA Super Series, JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, GAS, June 17: (Semis on The High Banks) Semis, CVBT, Scrappers, July 1-2: (Firecracker 200 Weekend) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, Legends, July 22: (Midwest Street Stock Battle and Late Models) GAS, CRA Street Stocks, CRA Late Model Sportsman, CVBT, Aug. 19: (Dollar Beer and Cruise In) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, Scrappers, Sept. 9: (End of Summer 100) GAS, CVBT, CVST, Legends, Oct. 21-22: (Halloween 200 Weekend) Halloween 200, CVBT 200, CVST, MF8, 602 Stocks, Scrappers, Bloomington Speedway releases 2023 schedule. February 27, 2023 (100 years old) View obituary. Orem, Utah. NASCAR hadnt yet arrived to swallow the sport. "He would be going if it were me that died. I had a deep spiritual belief that got me through that. Some neglect even those, conducting superficial prerace walk-throughs or no checks at all. win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to ''I knew him well but we never talked about his father`s death. This year's Fall Classic at the .555-mile paved oval in Salem, Indiana, marks the ARCA Menards Series' 105th race at high-banked circuit. Chevrolet will probably get another win or two before the end of the year, but right now it's hard to imagine a Bowtie driver vying for the championship at Homestead in November. Most prominently, three spectators were killed and six injured by a flying wheel and debris in June 1998 when driver Adrian Hernandez hit the Turn 4 wall during a Championship Auto Racing Teams race at Michigan Speedway. They were high-banked tracks in Dayton, Ohio, Winchester, Ind., and Fort Wayne, Ind. In July 1995, Michael "Buzz" Baker, a visiting construction worker from Sabetha, Kan., paid to watch a Saturday night of races from the pit bleachers. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Sweikert then quit automotive repair and became a full-time driver. I didnt even think Id hit 21. He would have raced, anyway.. Tony Floyd, an ambulance medic for the hospital, described the 39-year-old Vogler as having a "severe head injury." "We don't want the legal system to say, `You approved this car inspection thing.' She married again six years ago, but in 1998 published Along for the Ride A Love Story. The book is a personal, poignant and sometimes painful look back on her time with Bob Sweikert. "And it gets worse at the end of the night.". In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car title in 1980 and 1989. Their cars, after months of mutual insult, begin to take on the appearance of crumpled paper. Bloomington Speedway has released its 2023 racing schedule as the track will celebrate its 100-year anniversary this season: April 7 Season Opener to 100th Year at Bloomington Speedway 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets, April 14 Larry Rice Classic USAC Sprints, Super Stocks, MMSA, April 21 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Hornets, April 28 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets, May 5 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds, Hornets, May 12 Roddy Strong Memorial (Modified Purse will be increased from last year) 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds, May 19 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Super Stocks, and Hornets, May 26 The 10th Josh Burton Memorial with Fireworks MSCS Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, MMSA, June 2 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, June 9 USAC Indiana Midget Week USAC Midgets, MMSA, Sprints, June 16 Honoring Kevin The Pup Huntley plus Fireworks 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Super Stocks, Hornets, June 23 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stock, Hornets, July 14 (Rain Date for Roddy Strong Memorial) 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets, July 28 USAC Indiana Sprint Week: Kinser Memorial USAC Sprints, 305 Racesavers, Aug. 11 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds, Hornets, Aug. 18 410 Sprints, Super Stocks, Hornets, MMSA, Aug. 25 410 Sprints, Super Stocks, Hornets, Sept. 1 Rain Date for Josh Burton Memorial MSCS Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, MMSA, James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for The Republic. 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